farmeric January 15th, 2011
Fertiliser
The seed cake, which is produced by pressing the seeds to extract oil, cannot be eaten as it contains harmful substances. However, it contains high levels of protein and makes a good fertiliser for use in agriculture.
Living fence
Planted as a living fence, Moringa provides wind protection and shade. It grows very quickly and if cuttings are planted close together they will form a fence that livestock cannot get through in just 3 months.
Alley cropping
Moringa has a large tap root and few lateral roots so it will not compete for nutrients with the crops. Continue Reading »
Tags: malunggay, moringa, moringa oleifera
farmeric January 2nd, 2011
Moringa or malunggay seed powder can be used as a quick and simple method for cleaning dirty river water. The powder joins with the solids in the water and sinks to the bottom. This treatment also removes 90-99% of bacteria contained in water.
Using Moringa to purify water replaces chemicals such as aluminum sulphate, which are dangerous to people and the environment, and are expensive.
Twenty litres of water can be treated in the following way:
- Remove the wings and brown seed coat and discard any seed kernels that have dark spots or any other signs of damage.
- Pound the kernels to a fine powder.
- Add 2 grams (2 small spoons) of powder to one cup of clean water, pour into a bottle and shake for 5 minutes.
- Filter the solution through a clean cloth into the bucket of dirty water that is to be treated. Continue Reading »
Tags: Food, honey, malunggay, moringa, moringa oleifera, sugar cane, water purifier
farmeric December 20th, 2010
All Moringa food products have a very high nutritional value. You can eat the leaves, especially young shoots, young pods, flowers, roots, and in some species even the bark. Leaves are low in fats and carbohydrates and rich in minerals, iron and vitamin B.
It is particularly useful as a human food because the leaves appear towards the end of the dry season when few other sources of green leafy vegetables are available.
Fresh leaves
Of all the products of the tree the leaves are used the most. They become tougher as they get older so it is best to pick the growing tips and young leaves. Remove the leaves from the woody stem, as this will not soften during cooking. The leaves can be used in the same way as spinach. An easy way of cooking them is to steam 2 cups of freshly picked leaves for a few minutes in one cup of water, seasoned with an onion, butter and salt or other seasonings according to taste.
Dried leaves
A leaf powder can be produced by drying the leaves and crushing or pounding them. You can sift the powder to remove leaf stems. This powder can then be added to Continue Reading »
Tags: Food, malunggay, moringa, moringa oleifera
farmeric December 19th, 2010
All of the parts of the tree can be used in a variety of ways. Moringa is full of nutrients and vitamins and is good in your food as well as in the food of your animals. Moringa helps to clean dirty water and is a useful source of medicines. It provides lots of leafy material that is useful when using alley cropping systems. There are many other uses and these will all be described in this site:
Human food
Animal fodder
Water purification
Natural medicines
Fertilizer
Living fence
Alley cropping
Natural pesticide
Domestic cleaning agent
Fuel wood and other uses
Tags: malunggay, moringa oleifera, moringga
farmeric December 15th, 2010
How Does Moringa (Malunggay) Grow?
Rainfall and altitude
Moringa requires an annual rainfall of between 250 and 3000mm. It is drought resistant, though in drought conditions it may loose its leaves. This does not mean it is dead and it should recover when the rains arrive. It grows best at altitudes up to 600m but it will grow at altitutes of 1000m.
Temperature
It will survive in a temperature range of 25ºC to 40ºC but has been known to tolerate temperatures of 48ºC and light frosts.
Soil
Moringa prefers neutral to slightly acidic soils and grows best in well-drained loam to clay-loam. It tolerates clay soils but does not grow well if waterlogged.
Tags: malunggay, moringa, moringa oleifera
farmeric December 13th, 2010
What is Moringa oleifera?
Moringa oleifera, known as Moringa, is native to north India but is now found throughout the tropics. Moringa is also known as horseradish tree, drumstick tree and mother’s best friend. It grows fast and reaches up to 12m. The bark is grey and thick and looks like cork, peeling in patches.
It looses its leaves from December to January and new growth starts in February to March. Moringa produces cream coloured flowers when it is 8 months old and the flowering season begins in January and continues through to March. The fruit ripens from April to June and the pods are triangular in cross section, 30 to 50cm long and contain oily, black, winged seeds.
source: Moringa oleifera A multi-purpose tree
Tags: malunggay, moringa, moringa oleifera
farmeric June 17th, 2008
The hardest thing to see is what is in front of your eyes. - Goethe
These leaves could save million of lives. These tiny leaves have the potential to save million of people on our planet. What kind of leaves are they?
They are the leaves of of the humble Malunggay (moringa) tree. The scientific name is Moringa oleifera. It is said that the Malunggay tree originated in Northern India. Record shows Malunggay being used in Indian medicine some 5,000 years ago. Continue Reading »
Tags: malunggay, malunggay leaves, malunggay production, medicinal value, moringa, moringa oleifera, nutritional value, uses of malunggay
